


Triple Trouble

by ellaaa25



Series: Staying Strong [3]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Babies, Cute, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, PREATH - Freeform, Surprises, They are having kids, Triplets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-08-14
Packaged: 2020-08-23 15:31:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20245141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellaaa25/pseuds/ellaaa25
Summary: “Babe? You okay there?” Christen asked.Tobin nodded and swallowed a few times before she turned to look at Christen. “Yea, baby I’m fine. We’re having triplets! This is amazing!” She kissed her wife and held her hand tighter before they looked back towards the doctor.The doctor chuckled. “I half expected you to faint, Tobin.” The pair both chuckled because she did have a history of fainting when she got big news.





	Triple Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you enjoy the story of how the triplets came to be!

31st May 2017

Christen and Tobin had been waiting in the doctors’ office for over an hour. They had been so excited about finding out if the procedure had worked that they had gotten to the appointment way to early. They hadn’t told anyone that they were trying to have kids, just that it had been a discussion. They had been married for over two years and a lot of their friends and teammates had kids. Everyone had noted how Tobin was with them and how Christen melted at the sight of her wife with a baby in her arms. They knew it was matter of time, but they also knew that it wasn’t a simple for them as it was for others.

When they had first gotten there, the nurse had rolled her eyes with a smile. They weren’t the first couple to come early in eagerness. The nurse had taken Christens’ blood before she sent them back to wait.

The hour seemed to go so slowly for the pair. Tobin could not sit still to save her life and Christen was worrying her fingernails. It was their first attempt and they knew that some people didn’t have luck on the first go through.

After a long discussion, they had decided to use Christens eggs for this go. Tobin’s were pretty good, but Christens body hadn’t been through the trials that Tobin’s had and they had a better chance of taking. They had decided to insert three to give themselves the best chance of getting pregnant.

They were called back by their obstetrician and into the room. She sat behind her desk and turned to look at them. After some greetings and a few checks of Christens health, they got into the meaty part of the appointment.

“Okay, your bloods do indicate you are pregnant Christen. And you should be around 6 weeks along so we should be able to hear a heartbeat today.” She let the couple celebrate quickly and hug before she kept going. “Congratulations. However, it doesn’t tell me how many of the embryos attached. For that I will need to do an internal ultrasound. So if you could get up and put this on, before you get on the bed and put your legs in the stirrups, that would be great. I will be back in two minutes.” She left the room and Christen got changed and into position, while Tobin held her hand.

The doctor returned and got straight to it. “Okay let’s have a look. So far, everything seems pretty good.” She kept talking to herself and making notes. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

“You two ready to hear a heartbeat?” The married couple nodded and at the first sound, they both burst into tears. “Okay that is baby number one.” She moved the wand and they heard another sound. Their eyes widened in shock and Tobin kissed Christens forehead. “And that is baby number two.” The doctor watched the young couple crying happy tears about having two kids but she wasn’t done. She moved the wand again and said, “And there is baby number three.”

“W-w-what?! Three? They all took?” Christen was shocked. The odds of this happening weren’t good, which is why they were happy at implanting three. “Oh my god, we are going to have triplets! Tobin, we are going to have three babies!” Christen turned to see Tobin looking at the baby monitor with tears in her eyes.

“Babe? You okay there?” Christen asked.

Tobin nodded and swallowed a few times before she turned to look at Christen. “Yea, baby I’m fine. We’re having triplets! This is amazing!” She kissed her wife and held her hand tighter before they looked back towards the doctor.

The doctor chuckled. “I half expected you to faint, Tobin.” The pair both chuckled because she did have a history of fainting when she got big news. “Now, why don’t we clean up and get you dressed before we go through the rest. I will print of a couple of photos for you guys though.”

Christen got changed and when she got up, she fell into Tobins arms. “We are having three babies, Tobin. Three”

“I know. That is what we imagined, three kids. I just didn’t expect them to all come at the same time.” Tobin chuckled. “Let’s get through this pregnancy and we can go from there.”

Christen nodded into her wife’s chest and then they went and sat and the doctors desk, holding hands and eager to find out any more news.

The doctor went through her notes again before talking. “Okay, so all babies looked really healthy. They were a good size for this 6-weeks along. About the size of pea.” She looked up at the expectant mothers faces before she continued. “Now, as it is a multiple birth, you are considered to be have a high risk pregnancy. You are more likely to go in to labour early and could have more medical issues. It doesn’t mean much right now because you are in almost perfect health and are active, and you are in your late 20’s. The embryos were implanted on the 21st of April, so I would assume you would go into labour around New Years at the latest. That would put you around 36-37 weeks and very rarely do triplets want to stay inside mum beyond that. So I wouldn’t travel for the holidays.

“Now with your job, I would stop playing in games immediately. Light training and weight work is fine, but no physical contact.

“Now Christen, considering that you have three children inside you, your body will change a bit quicker than most for pregnancy. More babies, more weight, more size for you. It will probably be a bit more noticeable before the end of your first trimester. It is a high risk pregnancy, so I would be careful at telling anyone before the end of it. Even family. There is always a chance something could go wrong. If you have any concerns, please call me immediately. I would like to see you in 6 weeks, at the end of your first trimester, and then after that we can organise future appointments. Sound good?”

The couple nodded, aware of the risks but still over the moon. They made their next appointment for July 15th and then went home and cuddle on the couch. They were deciding on how to tell their club when Christens phone rang. She looked at it and sighed. “It is Jill. Camp is soon.”

Tobin shrugged and told Christen to answer it. “We have to tell them eventually. Maybe ask for a meeting?”

Christen nodded and put the phone on speaker. “Hey coach. How are you?”

_“I’m good Press. How are you?”_

Christen smiled. “I’m great. How can I help you?”

_“I am just calling about our next camp. It is from June 24th-July 7th in Portland and I am just confirming you will be there? And I am assuming your wife will be as well?”_

Christen looked at Tobin and shrugged. “We will both be there, but is there a chance we can have a meeting with you and the medical team before then?”

_“Yes of course, but please tell me your wife isn’t sick again. She doesn’t deserve to go through that again.”_

Christen smiled at the concern of her coach. “No, nothing of the sort. If it was, we wouldn’t wait to tell you. Nothing is wrong, I can promise that. We are planning to tell the Thorns tomorrow. We can bring you in on it? It is something you need to know.”

_“Thank god. Okay, I have to go make some more calls. Can I entrust you to tell your wife her presence is required at the next camp? And that is fine with the meeting tomorrow. Just get them to Skype me in.”._

“Of course, coach. We will talk to you then. Have a good day.”

Christen hung up after Jill gave her goodbyes as well.

“I will call coach now and we can meet tomorrow. We will figure out some sort of story about why you aren’t playing. Perhaps a niggling back injury which will remove you from contact training.”

“Maybe. I am sure I will have some back pain in the next few months.”

Tobin scheduled the appointment and the next day they were talking to the coach and the doctors. They were elated that there was going to be another baby in the club, but it was still early and the couple refused to announce it before they were ready. They were aiming to tell all of their friends and family on Saturday 29th July. The whole league had a weekend off and there were no national team duties. They had already started planning the party and were going to send out invites the next day.

The club decided to put out a statement saying Christen Press was not available for selection for the foreseeable future due to an ongoing back issue. She would be available for light training, but no contact was allowed. When they knew more about a potential return date, they would let everyone know.

Christen was farming calls left and right, ensuring everyone she was fine, but she just needed to rest. In the meantime, she took control of planning the announcement party. They hadn’t told anyone they were trying to get pregnant, so it would be even better.

Tobin and Christen walked into camp on June 24th hand in hand. They were happy and Christen was all smiles. She had some nasty morning sickness that came and went, but that morning was a good morning. There had been no issues so far and they were comfortable to go out. Christen wasn’t showing perse, but she was a small, petite woman and any body changes were noticeable. She wore baggier clothes and made sure her kit was a little bit bigger than normal. They expected by the end of camp she would be close to showing, but right now she just glowed.

They got their keys and were roomed together once again. Generally, the team didn’t room couples together after the Ashlyn and Ali situation of 2012. (It involved a traumatised Ali, a pissed of Pia and Ashlyn on probation for the next three months.) She had relaxed that rule for Tobin and Christen while they were dealing with the cancer but afterwards they had been separated. Whenever one of them was injured or ill, the other was allowed a bit more leeway around curfew and room switches, but this was one of the only times they had been roomed together since Tobin’s return to the National Team in 2014.

A few of the players on the Thorns were there with them, but they had seen what Christen was limited too and knew she wouldn’t be able to do much more. Tobin had been doting on her and she was seen giving back massages on multiple occasions and didn’t stop despite the ribbing of their teammates.

They got settled in and then went to go see the training staff to get an updated training schedule for Christen. She wasn’t allowed to do any contact or heavy fitness drills, but gym work, running and cardio on the bike was encouraged. She would essentially be in the gym and running laps, but at least she was with the team. Normally Dawn was above babysitting an injured player, but considering the situation, the only staff members who were aware of the pregnancy was Dawn and Jill. So, Dawn was overseeing the rehab personally and accompanying her to a lot of places. Christen got a fair amount of ribbing for it, because the only ones who got Dawn were the ones who were nightmare patients.

Little did they know.

Christen had had a little bit of morning sickness, but not a lot that anyone noticed. She was drinking tea, not coffee but again, no one noticed. She steered clear of eggs, but most of the other food was okay for her to consume. Tobin had no idea how their teammates didn’t notice how much Christen ate. She was eating for four and no one questioned it.

July 3rd was a horrible day. Christen had been up half the night with what they thought was morning sickness but was actually a stomach bug. Tobin was worried enough that she woke Dawn up. The trainer took one look at her and sent the pair to hospital. It was about 5am and no one else was awake, so Tobin drove them herself.

Christen was admitted and her obstetrician was called to check everything was okay. Thankfully, the babies were fine but Christen was getting dehydrated. A nasty bug had been going around and it looked like the mother to be had contracted it. It usually lasted 48 hours and Christen was going to stay in hospital the whole time for observation. Unfortunately, it was highly likely Tobin had as well since she had been looking after her wife all night. Around 10am she started vomiting and she was admitted right away. They stuck the athletes in their own room and called Dawn for an update.

Dawn was grateful they were both okay but had to check with the rest of the team if any of them had extra contact with Christen since the night before.

Dawn walked into the team meeting and Jill let her interrupt to check on the health of the squad. They had been worried when neither of them had surfaced that morning, but Jill had confirmed it was just a bug and nothing more than that. The team had trust issues when it came to Tobin and hospitals, so even though Christen was admitted they were wary.

Mallory had been the only player to have any contact with the couple after dinner last night, but she hadn’t displayed any symptoms. Regardless, she was quarantined and everyone giggled at the look on her face. She was not happy.

The team all got a notification on their phones about a minute later and started laughing. It was a photo of Christen and Tobin snuggled in a hospital bed looking horrible. The caption was _‘**I know we promised to be there in sickness or in health, but next time could we stagger it? #webothsick #overthisalready #ineedanothercuddle”.**_

Christen and Tobin were released on the 6th, and they went straight back to camp to sleep. Being sick was exhausting and Christen was really feeling her pregnancy. She still had bouts of morning sickness, but she was mostly nauseous.

The couple walked into dinner on the night of the 6th, and everyone saw they looked horrible. Pale and tired, the couple just sat quietly and let the talk come to them. They were going home tomorrow and the next time they would all be together would be the day they told everyone they were pregnant.

The whole group was excited that they had a non-soccer reason to catch up and everyone was going to be there. Usually one or two missed out, but this time it would be a perfect attendance record.

Everyone separated the next day, happy that they would all see each other in about 3 weeks. Tobin and Christen hadn’t allowed anyone to stay with them this time around and everyone was staying at hotels across Portland.

Tobin and Christen got home from camp quickly and went straight to bed. They were still tired and weren’t feeling great. Tobin was brushing her teeth when she heard Christen gasp and call to her. She cleaned her mouth and went to find her wife shirtless in front of the mirror.

“What’s up babe?” Tobin asked.

Christen sniffed and looked over shoulder towards her wife. “I have a bump!”

Tobin’s eyes went wide and then dropped to wear she could see the beginnings of a baby bump. She rushed over and fell to her knees in front of Christen. “Oh my God, there is a bump. Hi babies, how are you going? You being good for mum? You guys keep growing and we will see you soon.” Tobin said a few other things and kissed Christens stomach a few times before standing.

She wrapped her arms around Christen and put her forehead against hers. “Those are our babies!”

Christen nodded, “Yea, soon they will be here, and our lives will never be the same.”

“No, but they will be better!” Tobin kissed her wife before picking her up and carrying her to bed. “Nap time!” The Heath-Press’s fell asleep with four hands on a very small baby bump, dreaming of the future.

* * *

July 15th was a Saturday and the Heath-Press’s were ready for their appointment. Christen’s bump was fairly noticeably when she wore her normal clothing, so she had elected to steal Tobin’s baggier shirts and comfy shorts when going out. It was their 12 week appointment and they were hoping that everything was going to plan.

They had discussed whether or not they wanted to know the sex of the babies, and they decided that considering there were going to be three of them, the more prepared they were the better. They wouldn’t find out at this appointment but potentially at the next one, depending on when it would be. 

Christen and Tobin went in hand in hand before Christen quickly went to sit on the table. The doctor started the ultrasound and they were in tears again for the heartbeats. They sounded strong and the doctor was very happy with them. Christen cleaned up and they left with a clean bill of health and an appointment for 6 weeks’ time. That would get them to around 18 weeks and towards the end of August, so they should know the sex of all of the kids then.

* * *

All of a sudden it was the 29th and all of their friends and family was in their house. Christen was still trying to find clothes that hid her bump. She was at 14 weeks, but it was obvious she was pregnant if you looked at her the right way. She had stayed away from the Thorns training for the last 2 weeks so no one had seen her, and if she went out she wore Tobin’s baggiest hoodie. It was from UNC so she couldn’t wear it today otherwise her friends would never let her live it down. She put on a sundress and found a wrap. If she held it around herself they wouldn’t know. She could open her arms up and they would all be able to see.

Tobin had asked Ashlyn and Ali to gather everyone in the backyard while she went to get Christen. They knew they would tell them all immediately because Christen honestly was huge for 14 weeks, which was why they had insisted everyone get there for midday and not be late.

Tobin went into their room and found Christen wearing a flowy sundress which she had paired with a wrap. If she held the wrap around her body, you couldn’t tell she was pregnant unless you already knew. “You ready babe? I set the camera up so we can get their reactions. I wonder how long it will take them to get it out of us or guess.”

Christen smiled and nodded. “You will break before they will guess. Let’s go tell them all they will be aunts and uncles.”

The pair walked in the backyard and everyone cheered when they emerged. Tobin stood behind Christen and wrapped her arms around her wife’s waist. Christens arms were in the same place but they couldn’t see them.

“Alright you two. What is happening and why did we have to be punctual? You know some of us like making you guys wait?” Kelley asked with a grin.

“We asked Carli and she said she didn’t know!” Mallory piped up. Christen and Tobin had been like her team parents and she was so eager to know what was happening. She hadn’t been around when Tobin was sick, but this didn’t look like that kind of announcement. She had missed playing with Christen the last couple months and Tobin was always checking on her when Christen couldn’t.

Tobin chuckled. “Carli doesn’t know anything. Stop bugging her. And why couldn’t we just want to hang out with you guys?”

Alex snorted “Because you made sure we were on time, and you are one of the tardiest women I have ever met. Wait, you aren’t sick, are you? Please tell me that isn’t it and you aren’t using your wife as a shield to hide your ports and shit.” Alex turned from amused to worried in the blink of an eye, and so did the rest of their guests.

“No, I am fine I promise. I swear I am fine.” Tobin took a couple of minutes to reassure everyone. “I had my check up with the doctor last week. Nothing has returned, bloods looked good as well. No reason to worry.”

Some of the guests were still wary but they calmed down. “So, what is it then? Come on, tell us? Is it an update on Christens back? Did they find out what was wrong, and you can play in the next camp?” Ali’s question was the one they were waiting on.

Christen smiled. “Yea we did find out what was up with my back. But it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to play for a while. At least the next 6 months, if not a year.”

The whole group was devastated. An injury that would keep someone out for a year, it was something that more than one of them had been through and they didn’t wish it on anyone, especially Christen and Tobin.

Mallory was crying and holding close to Sonnett. The defender was upset that her teammate was out for such a long time.

“What did they say it was? Stress fractures or something?” Alex asked. She was relieved that her friend wasn’t sick again. An injury she could deal with.

“Or something.” Tobin mumbled. Christen elbowed her and she just chuckled and kissed her wife’s cheek.

Christen took a deep breath. She was about to say something when Mallory just blew. “Just tell us, stop making me worry. I miss my team mums and I want to know why!”

The group just giggled when Mallory blushed after she realised what she had said. “Shit. Sorry.”

Christen laughed as well. “It is fine kiddo. I am actually kind of surprised you hadn’t been bugging me earlier. Anyway, my back pain is kind of a side effect. It will get worse before it gets better.”

The group was so confused. No one had figured it out. Tobin had had enough and was openly laughing at the looks on their faces. Christen elbowed her again and rolled her eyes at her wife’s childishness. “Tobin, relax babe.”

“Can I tell them please?” Tobin shimmied her way around to the front of Christen and gave Chris her best puppy dog eyes. “They aren’t going to guess, and I can tell all this standing is going to irritate your back. And we have to tell them I won’t be playing for the Thorns or the National Team as well”

Christen nodded and kissed Tobin before Tobin moved back behind Christen. She went back to her place and wrapped her arms around Christens stomach. She looked and saw confused and eager faces starting back at them. “This is hard to say. I am stepping back from the National Team and the Thorns. As of today, I am on personal leave. The National Team and the Thorns have cleared it, but we wanted to tell you guys in person. We won’t be in camps or travelling with you guys. If you have games in California or here or Seattle we may be there, but other than that, we are both out for the foreseeable future.”

“But why Tobin? You have already missed so much time. And you promised us you weren’t sick.” Alex was devastated at the news her best friend isn’t going to be around as much. Everyone else was upset as well but none as much as Alex, Kelley and Mallory.

Tobin smiled at her best friend. “I am not sick. But I do have to be here for Christen. I refuse to be away from her at the moment.”

Christen leant back into Tobin and smiled. “Besides, she would be a horrible roommate. Always on the phone to me, never focusing. It is much better if she is here with me. I would hate to go into labour while she was hanging out with you guys.”

Alex snorted “She wouldn’t be hanging out with us if tha- Wait, what? Labour? As in, you, what? No, we woul- Tobin wha-. You have to be – but you aren’t, what?”

Christen laughed and dropped her wrap. Everyone gaped at her belly. “I’m pregnant, due around New Years.” 

The squeals would have broken glass. Mallory bolted across the yard and Tobin moved out from behind Christen to intercept the teenager. “Wow, kiddo. Precious cargo. Slow down.” She pulled the forward to the side and Christen turned to look at them. Everyone could see her bump. It was very obvious that she was pregnant.

“Oh My God!” All the girls left their partners and swarmed the couple to wish them congratulations and hit Tobin for worrying them. “Why am I the one who gets hit?”

Alex hit her again. “Because your wife is pregnant not you. You’re going to be a mum Toby!”

Tobin snorted. “I am going to be Mama, Christen is Mum.” Tobin hugged her best friend before she went to rescue her wife.

They snuggled up again and had a bit of a Q+A with the team.

“Do you know if it is a boy or a girl yet?” Ali asked. She loved kids but neither she nor Kyle were in the right situation to give the other a niece or nephew, so they settled on spoiling their friends’ kids.

“Not yet, we should find out in about a month. Yes, we will tell you when that happens. Well, we might actually have a gender reveal party if you guys want to come back?”

The very loud general consensus was yes. They were going to do it in September, a couple of weeks after the appointment.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were trying?” Amy asked, a bit hurt that Tobin had told anyone they were trying out IVF.

Christen snuggled into Tobin before answering. “We know that IVF doesn’t always work, and that considering our... history shall we say, we didn’t want anyone knowing in case it didn’t work. It wasn’t that we were hiding it, but we weren’t sure how we would we react if it didn’t work.” The older girls knew what Christen was talking about, but the younger ones like Mallory were confused. They saw the looks on the others faces and knew not to ask. If they were meant to know, they would.

The group kept chatting and celebrating most of the afternoon and evening. There was no alcohol (the smell made Christen sick and Tobin didn’t drink) and the group started leaving about 5pm. They ordered pizza for dinner and sat around chatting for the rest of the night.

Christen went to bed around 9pm and left Tobin, Alex, Ali, Ashlyn, Kelley and Mallory around the table. She was wiped out and told Tobin to stay and enjoy herself. They all knew she would be in bed with her wife within the hour.

They were chatting for a bit when Mallory asked the question she had been stewing on all afternoon. “Tobes, what was that history that Chris mentioned? I don’t get why you wouldn’t tell anyone before you did it. They would be there in a heartbeat to help.”

The four others at the table shut up quickly and looked between them. Tobin looked torn and Mallory was confused. “I don’t want to tell you because I don’t want you to realise how crap the world is Mal.”

“I already know about the cancer. And I pray everyday that it never comes back. Is it worse than that?”

Tobin shrugged. “In a way, yes. In others, no. I’m not ready to tell you Mal. It will hurt you.”

Mallory was frustrated but a hand on her arm from Kelley shut her up. “Okay, but please know that I want to know. I want to know about my team mums, all of it.”

Tobin smiled sadly. “You should only see the best of your parents’ kid. I am going to bed. Alex, can you lock up when you leave? I am shattered.”

Tobin gave them all a quick hug before she went upstairs. She quickly changed and crawled in behind Christen. “How much did you hear?”

Christen murmured back. “Enough. I can tell her if you want. She should know but I know you never talk about it, except with me.”

Tobin nodded into her neck. “I can’t break her heart. Everyone else saw me at my worst. She has only known me at my best. I don’t want to see her worldview shatter.”

“Fair enough. Thank you for today. It went really well. They were so shocked.”

“I love you. They were all happy for us too. Talk more in the morning. Sleep now.”

Christen laughed. “Good night Toby.”

* * *

The next morning, Christen and Tobin both posted to Instagram. The photo was of the party and all of their friends. Tobin was standing next to Christen with her arms wrapped around her middle. Christen was standing side on so everyone could see her bump. Everyone was behind them celebrating while they just smiled widely.

** _The USWNT will have a new member around New Years! 14 weeks down, 26 to go! #BabyPreath #Family #lovethesegals #PreathFamily_ **

** **

The internet exploded with love for the couple. #BabyPreath was trending for days. The Thorns and the USWNT both put out a statement to express their congratulations and update everyone about future squads.

** _The Portland Thorns wish the Heath-Press family all the best for the next chapter of their lives. Neither Tobin nor Christen will being playing with the Thorns until further notice, however they will still be around the club. #BabyPreath #Thornsfamily #allourlove #PreathFamily_ **

** **

** _The USWNT will have a new member running around soon, but until then Tobin and Christen Heath-Press will not be playing with the National Team. We wish the family all the best and hope they will still come and visit the squad at camp! #BabyPreath #USWNTBaby #thatkidwillhavealotofaunts #nohate #PreathFamily_ **

** **

Some fans were disappointed that Tobin wasn’t playing, but most understood. Tobin did post a photo of Christen smiling over her shoulder, baby bump on display with the caption:

** _Not missing a day of this journey. Chris and bubs, I love you and I am never leaving. #BabyPreath #ProudMama #Mywifeisgorgeous #Cantwaittomeetyou #PreathFamily_ **

** **

* * *

Christen and Tobin walked hand in hand to their appointment at the end of August. Christen was all belly, and she looked bigger than 18 weeks. Christen was hoping to find out the sex of the babies today, but Tobin also wanted to do a gender reveal. They were still debating it when the doctor brought them back. Christen got settled and then it was the moment of truth.

“All three babies are looking really good. Strong heartbeats, good development. I would say with triplets, you are about halfway along. Now, do we want to know the sex of the babies? I have got a view of all three.” The doctor had heard part of the conversation between the pair, but wasn’t sure if one of them had folded. (She expected Tobin too).

“We want to know, but we want to keep it a secret that we are having more than one baby. It has turned into a bit of joke with everyone about how big I am, so when three pop out it will be hilarious.” Christen paused and thought for a minute. “If they are all the same sex, can you not tell us and put it in an envelope so we can do the gender reveal thing? If they are a mixture, we can just tell them we are having twins and do the same thing. We will get one of our friends to organise it.”

Tobin was happy with that. She really wanted to find out with all of their friends around.

The doctor nodded and double checked her notes and the scan before she spoke. “Well, I guess I am putting only one gender in an envelope. You guys are having three of the same. I want to see you every two weeks from now on. I want to keep an eye on their development and you as well, Christen. You are a petite woman, so three babies will be having a big influence on your body.”

They left hand-in-hand with a smile on their face. Tobin called Carli and asked if she could come to Portland and help organise the gender reveal. She was the only one they trusted not to spill the beans early (Kelley and Alex meant well, but no). They were going to ask Ali to help her with the design and set up of it all. Christen and Tobin weren’t to have anything to do with it.

They planned to do it on September 23rd, a Saturday at lunch time. The National Team wasn’t in camp, and the NWSL was in the midst of a two-week break before the finals’ series. Carli had organised the game for the couple to play to find out the gender (yes, it was soccer related) and the cake, but Ali was handling everything else. She had told every guest what they were required to bring, and everyone had to wear the colour of what they thought the baby would be.

There was a pretty even split about who thought it was going to be a boy and who thought it was going to be a girl. Tobin had covered herself from snapback to sneakers in pink, while Christen was wearing a very nice blue dress. Neither of them were fussed if they were wrong, but it made it more interesting.

Tobin and Christen had had two more checkups in the previous month and everything was going well. Tobin was so excited about finding out what they were having that she was practically vibrating when they got to the party. The Thorns had allowed them to have it at the training centre field because Carli had planned her gender reveal with the goals.

Ali had checked with the couple that it was okay for Ashlyn and a few others to live stream the reveal and they agreed so long as two people posted it on their Instagrams as well. Christen and Tobin had an official photographer and videographer for the day as well.

Ashlyn was going to post it for herself, Sydney had taken control of Christens Insta, Tobins feed was in the hands of Sam Mewis, Allie had been allowed to post it for the USWNT and Sonnett had control of the Thorns feed. They had been updating the feeds sporadically throughout the day, laughing at Tobin’s eagerness and Christen’s amusement. Tobin looked like a 5-year-old on a sugar high.

They got through the lunch rather painlessly before Carli announced it was time for the reveal. The 5 videographers started recording.

“Instead of going with the balloons in a box thing, or the coloured cake, I decided to make it a bit harder on these two. Well, just Tobin actually. I cleared with Christen when I was thinking about ideas. Since the baby mumma can’t do what I wanted her too, it is up to Tobin.” Everyone oohed at the midfielder who was looking towards her captain with an evil glint in her eye.

“What you talking about Lloyd?” Tobin asked with narrowed eyes.

Carli chuckled, picked up a soccer ball and pointed towards the goal. “You have 3 goes to hit this ball into the corners of the net from 25 yards out. The top corners have powder in them, you have to hit them to find out. If you don’t, we get to dump a load of coloured powder on you.”

Tobin snickered. “Easy Carli.”

“Wait, there's more. Hope is in goal. You aren’t getting it that easy now, are you.” Carli and the others all laughed at the look on Tobin’s face. There was an ongoing joke that Tobin couldn’t scored against Hope, it just never happened.

Tobin stalked over and took the ball from Carli and stalked to the mark Carli had put on the pitch. Christen was laughing her head off at the look of determination on her wife’s face. Hope got herself settled in goals while Tobin set up. Tobin quickly ran over to Christen and pulled her closer. “I need my goodluck charm.” She said with a cheeky grin and quick kiss.

Allie and Alex went and stood next to Christen and were heckling Tobin. Everyone else was surrounding the box and the back of the goal, trying to get the best angle.

Tobin lined up her first shot, aiming for the top left corner. It went in, but missed the box. “Damn it!”

Everyone chuckled as Tobin lined up the next one. She went for the right one this time, but Hope got in the way. “Bloody hell. HOPE! Let me find out what kid I’m going to have! Get out of goal!” Hope laughed but left the goal because she saw Ali and Kelley lining up Tobin with the tub of powder. She knew regardless of what happened, Tobin was getting hit by that today.

Christen left the pair and went and over to her wife. She stood next to the ball and where she knew Tobin would land after she hit, well aware that she was going to be hit by the powder as well.

Tobin smiled at Christen before she took her final shot. She rattled the top left corner, shattered the box and watched as blue powder exploded from it. She turned to her wife with tears in her eyes and hugged her close. “We are having boys.” She whispered to Christen before kissing her. She felt something pour all over her but she didn’t care. All she did was hold her wife close.

Ali and Kelley threw the box away from the now blue before they joined the hug. “IT”S A BOY! THEY ARE HAVING A BOY!” Everyone was cheering and celebrating while Christen and Tobin just cried happy tears and hugged each other close. They broke out eventually but stayed close, never unlinking their hands. They were so happy and didn’t care they were covered in powder.

They all ate a blue cake and everyone was deciding on who was getting the couple what gifts. Christen and Tobin were laughing to themselves, because they knew that they would need three times as much as what they were all talking about.

Christen and Tobin managed to escape the frenzy for five minutes by themselves. They sat under the goal posts and Tobin climbed up and grabbed the un-popped box of powder. She sat behind her wife and held her close while she threw tiny bits of powder up in the air. They just took the moment to talk quietly.

“Three boys huh? This will be interesting. How on earth are we going to keep the fact that there are three of them a secret? We are moving house soon so we have more room in Portland, and we just closed on the house in Palos Verdes.” Christen let out a few of her worries, knowing her wife would keep her calm.

“Babe, chill. We are moving back to LA soon, and we have locked in the house for next season. We just say we wanted more room so family could come visit or something. They won’t care. The only reason we aren’t telling them we are having three is because we both know it is a high-risk. I don’t think anything will go wrong, but I don’t want to worry them. We can stay in our bubble and when they come in the next few months, everyone will be surprised. We have three baby boys growing in there. All I am worried about is you and them. Everything else we can work out.”

Christen nodded and leant further back into Tobin. Tobin held her tight and kissed her temple, happy and content.

That was the photo they used to tell the world of the baby’s gender.

** _Baby boy Heath-Press due around New Years. Mama and Mum content. #babyontheway #BabyPreath #BlueBaby #PreathFamily_ **

** **

* * *

They moved into their new home in Palos Verdes in early October. Their doctor was still in Portland, but had transferred all of her notes to the clinic that was affiliated with hers. They got checkups’ every 2 weeks and were told that she could go into labour as early as late November. They were hoping to get the babies to the New Year, but it was more likely they wouldn’t. The longer Christen was pregnant, the better for the babies development. 32 weeks was okay, but they wanted to her to get to 34 or 35 weeks at a minimum.

For that reason, they didn’t travel for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Christen’s family came to Thanksgiving but they wanted to have Christmas by themselves.

Tobin spent the entire time getting the boys’ rooms ready. To start with they would stay in bassinets in their room, but they had enough room that all three could get their own room. Once they were sleeping through the night, they were going into their own rooms. They had decided on the names after some debate, but hadn’t told anyone. All their friends were bugging them about naming the child after them, and Tobin chuckled because little did they know. They had 6 names finalised, they just had to figure out the first names and middle names.

Christen was at the stage that she was always uncomfortable, and she was worried. She was happy to spend Christmas in her pjs with Tobin in the couch. All of their friends and family had sent them gifts for the babies for Christmas, and they were organising the boys rooms as they went.

Christen went into labour late on the 28th and Tobin quickly got her into the car and to the hospital. They didn’t tell anyone because it was late, and they were waiting until they actually had news.

They spoke with their doctor and knew that a C-Section was going to have to happen. The babies hadn’t moved into position for a natural birth and it was a lot safer. As Christen was getting prepped, Tobin sent out a mass text to all of their friends and family. All it said was ‘baby time, will let you know more soon!’.

She ignored her phone after that, staying by Christens side as all three boys were safely delivered. After they cleaned up Christen and the babies, the nurses cleaned handed them to the crying mothers. Christen held babies number 1 and 3 to her chest, while Tobin held the number 2. Neither of the women could keep their eyes off of their baby boys.

It took Tobin and Christen almost an hour to name their boys. Baby number one was very calm and they named him Evan Lloyd. “Carli’s calm is entrenched in this one. She will be so happy.” Tobin cried as they wrote his name on his bassinet and his birth certificate.

Baby number two was always moving around. Alexander Christopher had all the makings of a fidgeter and he already didn’t like being put down. Christen held him as they wrote his name on his ID bracelet and birth certificate.

Michael Asher was a mix of his brothers. It was like he knew he had to be the balance and the bridge between his siblings. He was technically the youngest, but he had the makings of a middle child mediator. His birth certificate was the last to be filled out.

Tobin sent out a message saying that everyone was healthy and they were open for visitors, but to please text her before they came. They would be home in a few days and would hopefully be able to take the kid to the party that was happening on New Years Day at Alex’s.

They wanted to tell their family and their closest friends about the triplets first. Everyone else would be told via social media. A lot of their friends were in LA for a New Years party, so they could just tell them all in one go.

Alex, Amy and Lauren were the first three to make it. They texted Tobin that they were in the waiting room and she went out and met them. She hugged them and had a massive smile on her face when she did. They wished her congratulations and she just giggled. Tobin took them to the door but before she opened it she stopped.

“We have a bit of a surprise for you, but they were asleep when I left so please don’t freak out and wake them up.” The girls were confused but nodded. Tobin opened the door and ushered them in. They saw Christen was awake and checking her phone, but what confused them was there was three basinets.

When they walked in Christen started recording their reactions. Alex turned to her best friend. “Tobin, explain.”

“Surprise?” Tobin said with a shit eating grin. “We may have been expecting more than one baby boy.”

“Oh my god, this is so cool.” Amy and Lauren went over to see the babies in their bassinets while Alex got her shock under control.

Tobin asked them to sit it the chairs that were there, and she handed each of them a baby. Lauren was holding Evan, Alex was holding Alexander and Amy held Christopher.

“They are so cute Tobin. You did good Chris! What are their names?” Lauren asked, unable to take her eyes off of Evan.

“Well, Cheney you are holding Evan Lloyd, your godson.” Lauren burst into tears at that and just nodded. “Amy, you are holding Michael Asher, your godson.” Amy just swallowed thickly and tried not to cry. She looked to Christen and smiled.

Christen spoke next. “Alex, I would like you to meet Alexander Christopher Heath-Press, your godson.” Alex just held her namesake tighter and nodded her acceptance.

The three got their emotions under control before they spoke to the family. Tobin asked Alex for permission to hi-jack the New Years party to introduce the boys which Alex quickly agreed to.

The three women left after about an hour and put out a message to the others not to bother the couple. They would be home on the 31st and would visit everyone on the 1st.

They made sure that the godparents got a chance to meet the babies at home, and Ashlyn, Ali, Allie, Carli, Perry and Kelley all cried when they heard the names and that they were god parents. Ashlyn and Kelley initially fell on the floor laughing when they found out it was triplets, but eventually got themselves under control. They had taken a photo of the 9 godparents, the boys and the mums to post later, but for now they were staying quiet.

The world was aware that the baby had been born and were waiting for their first glimpse at the boy.

Christen and Tobin were not staying very long at Alex’s party and they had gotten there well before anyone was drunk. Alex jumped on the counter and told everyone to shut up. “Okay, so we have some visitors. Tobin and Christen are here and they brought a little surprise. So if you guys are quiet and don’t scream too much they will be out here in a minute.” Everyone was eager to see the new baby and shut up.

Christen walked out holding Evan in her arms, smiling happily. “Hey everyone, I would like you to meet Evan Lloyd Heath-Press.” Everyone cooed and awed at the baby boy, at least until Tobin walked out with the other two. Then they went into shock.

“And I would like you to meet Alexander Christopher and Michael Asher Heath-Press.”

Everyone went quiet and then started squealing. The girls surrounded the new family of five and quickly grabbed them for cuddles. That then allowed the other who weren’t holding a baby to yell at Tobin and Christen for not telling them. They just laughed and shrugged.

They were only there for about 30 minutes before they went home. They were tired and the boys needed a nap. They put them down and then snuggled up to reflect on it all. They wouldn’t change anything for the world.

That night, Tobin and Christen posted on Instagram their first family photo. It was one that they had Alex take when they had first gotten home. Christen was holding Alexander and Evan, while Tobin had one arm around her wife and was holding Michael. They were all happy and the couple was smiling down at their kids.

** _Happy New Year! We would like you to meet our three baby boys! Evan Lloyd, Alexander Christopher and Michael Asher were born on @christenpress 29th birthday. All four are doing well and we are very happy! Surprise! #threeforone #nooneknew #happybabies #outnumbered #PreathFamily_ **

** **

They turned their phones to silent after they posted, just happy to be together.

Tobin kissed Christen on the forehead “Happy New Year baby.”

Christen moved her head up and kissed her wife on the nose. “Happy New Year.”

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments and kudos make my day.
> 
> ellaaa25 xoxox


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